Celery Root Bisque

I bookend this Super Bowl week with another recipe from The Wimpy Vegetarian. If you recall, The Wimpy Vegetarian was my assigned blog for Monday’s Secret Recipe Club post. I promised that I’d be sharing one of her soups during the Soup-er bowl and here it is!

Never having cooked with celery root before I was intrigued by her Celery Root Bisque. Stuart always wants to buy the bizarre ingredients in the produce section so I decided to go for it! (The celery root can be found in the produce section near the ginger root. And the rutabaga – which might be the next strange ingredient used in my kitchen.)

Cutting the celery root was a test for my new knives. For Christmas Stuart got me a set of chef-worthy knives. These knives make cutting onions quick, slicing lemons smooth, and potatoes easy. I was able to “peel” the skin off the celery root with ease and cube it up with minimal effort.

Okay, enough of the unpaid and un-asked-for sponsorship.

Back to the bisque.

I didn’t think there could possibly be a better soup than yesterday’s creamy tomato but there is! I enjoyed a cup of celery root bisque for lunch for an entire week.

This soup has that hearty, creamy texture you’d expect from a bisque and has the flavor of celery with a kick. There is definitely heat to this soup. If you want a milder soup remove the seeds from the serrano pepper, use only half the pepper, and/or omit the cayenne. However, it’s that zip from the serrano that has you going back for another bite.

This bisque is perfect for lunch or as a side dish. Susan served hers with lobster! Some homemade bread is a perfect accompaniment for dunking and toning down the spice.

Celery Root Bisque

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/2 russet potato, diced

1/2 shallot, diced

up to 1 serrano pepper, diced (for milder soup remove seed)

1/4 C white wine (use 1/4 C stock if you want to omit the wine)

1 celery root, peeled and cubed

5 C vegetable stock

1 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground mustard

2/3 C heavy cream

1/3 C milk

fresh parsley, for garnish

Steps:

In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil. Saute the onion, potato, shallot, and serrano until tender.

Deglaze the pot with the white wine. Simmer until all the wine is absorbed.